Phoenix launches one of the first Registered Apprenticeship programs in support of booming semiconductor and advanced manufacturing ecosystems with state, local, and philanthropic investments
Today, Senior Biden-Harris Administration officials will travel to Phoenix, Arizona for a Workforce Hub convening announcing commitments to equitable workforce development from Hub collaborators. In 2023, First Lady Jill Biden announced Phoenix as one of five Workforce Hubs where President Biden’s Investing in America agenda—including the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act—is driving historic private and public investments while creating pathways into good jobs. In Phoenix, these investments demonstrate how Bidenomics is growing the economy from the middle out and bottom up.
Today’s announcements include: a $5 million private sector commitment to establish a new semiconductor technician Registered Apprenticeship program, a $5 million commitment from philanthropic organizations to provide 1,500 Arizonans with supportive services to enter in-demand jobs of the future, new partnerships between unions and community colleges to expand access to apprenticeship and credentialing programs, and more.
Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, Arizona has seen over $77 billion in private investment in semiconductor, battery, electric vehicle, clean energy, and biomanufacturing sectors. In response, the state is rapidly expanding equitable workforce pathways into advanced manufacturing to meet demand for talent in these critical sectors. In November, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Commerce Authority announced $4 million from the President’s American Rescue Plan to fund wraparound support services such as child care, transportation tuition, and supplies for apprentices in semiconductor-related Registered Apprenticeships.
Building on that investment, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, with support from Governor Katie Hobbs, established a series of critical new partnerships to build talent pipelines in partnership with the Workforce Hub’s two anchor institutions, Maricopa Community College and Arizona State University. By launching new collaborative efforts with employers, unions, community colleges, and other institutions, Phoenix will support a diverse range of workers to enter and succeed in careers in advanced manufacturing. As a result of this work, the Phoenix region is now home to the Arizona’s first semiconductor Registered Apprenticeship programs and the city’s workforce board is the first-ever to sponsor a Registered Apprenticeship program in this industry.
The Hub’s work also supports the Administration’s Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Sprint —an intensive nationwide drive to build a diverse, skilled pipeline of workers for good advanced manufacturing jobs.
Major advancements expanding pathways into good jobs from Phoenix Hub collaborators are below.
- TSMC Arizona (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is investing $5 million and establishing a new semiconductor technician Registered Apprenticeship program. TSMC Arizona intends to train 80 facility technician apprentices over five years, with support from the City of Phoenix and the Arizona State Apprenticeship Office, and will scale over time and expand its curriculum to additional roles. As a part of this effort, TSMC Arizona will also recruit technician apprentices from local communities.
- Arizona Community Foundation will drive the creation of a $5 million philanthropic fund in partnership with other community-based organizations for equitable workforce development initiatives. The fund is designed to support 1,500 non-traditional talent and underserved residents with training to enter in-demand jobs of the future. Recognizing that individuals from underserved communities often need support to successfully complete training, the fund will provide grants to organizations that provide wrap-around services for workforce training and attainment.
- South Mountain campus of the Maricopa Community College System and the Arizona Building Trades Council (AZBTC) will signa Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that details their shared commitment to work together to expand enrollment in construction trades Registered Apprenticeship programs. As a part of this MOU, South Mountain will provide the AZBTC access to students and facilities and both partners will engage in joint recruitment. These efforts will support pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeship programs and will serve individuals from underserved communities (primarily Latino, Indigenous, and first-generation students). Since the inception of South Mountain Community College’s Construction Trades Institute, 126 students have earned certificates: 50 in carpentry, 56 in plumbing, and 20 in electrical.
- Phoenix Union School District and the Western Maricopa Education Center working in collaboration will enable high school students to access in-demand advanced manufacturing credentials. This effort will support a program in which high school students earn certifications that will make them competitive for jobs in advanced manufacturing. All participants will have tuition covered by the State. This program is set to launch Fall 2024.
- Phoenix is investing $10 million in American Rescue Plan funds in additional wrap-around services training efforts at Maricopa Community Colleges.These funds are providing monthly stipends of $1,000 to eligible participants to assist with transportation and other personal expenses which support individuals while completing an at one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. Individuals with young children (13 years old and under) receive an additional $500 per month to cover childcare expenses.
- Arizona Commerce Authority is investing over $80 million from the President’s American Rescue Plan to expand university partnerships focused on infrastructure and workforce, including—
- $30 million for a Materials-to-Fab Center located at the Arizona State University (ASU) that will power shared research, development, and prototyping, accelerating semiconductor innovation;
- $17.5 million to enhance Arizona’s research, development, and workforce training capabilities at ASU to create a GaN (gallium nitride) manufacturing and research ecosystem, developing 6G (sixth generation technology for wireless communications) in partnership with an employer partner, NXP Semiconductors;
- $35.5 million supporting the University of Arizona’s Micro/Nano Fabrication Center in Tucson that will drive manufacturing and research efforts involving semiconductors, computer chips, optical devices, and quantum computing systems; and
- $30 million for a Materials-to-Fab Center located at the Arizona State University (ASU) that will power shared research, development, and prototyping, accelerating semiconductor innovation;
- BuilditAZ Apprenticeship is leading a statewide initiative to double the number of construction and trades registered apprentices by 2026 to almost 8,000. This program is expanding access to pre-apprenticeships, creating pathways, especially for women and other individuals from underrepresented communities, and increasing postsecondary attainment.
- Future48 Workforce Accelerator is establishing a new semiconductor-focused collaboration led by the Arizona Commerce Authority with Maricopa Community College that will further build the pipeline of talent for semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries.
- Governor Katie Hobbs in collaboration with the Arizona Commerce Authority, Department of Economic Security, and other organizations are conducting a child care needs study. This partnership is working to meet the child care needs across industries, including semiconductors, to ensure that Arizona supports successful CHIPS implementation.
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